Images

The use of images, diagrams and pictures – and the related problem of how one thing may represent another – is one of the central problems in philosophy. This is the first book to connect the problem of representational artifacts to philosophy of science, philosophy of mind and aesthetics. Can images be a source of knowledge? Are images merely conventional signs, like words? What is the relationship between the observer and the observed? In this clear and stimulating introduction to the problem John Kulvicki explores these questions and more. He discusses:

• the nature of pictorial experience and 'seeing in'
• recognition, resemblance, pretense, and structural theories of depiction
• images as aids to scientific discovery and understanding
• mental imagery and the nature of perceptual content
• photographs as visual prostheses.

In so doing he assesses central problems in the philosophy of images, such as how objects we make come to represent other things, and how we distinguish one kind of representation—pictures, diagrams, sentences, signs—from another. Essential reading for students and professional philosophers alike, the book also contains chapter summaries, annotated further reading and a glossary.